A Delta Air Lines passenger who was traveling to Alaska to settle the estate of a recently deceased friend allegedly grabbed a male flight attendant by the neck and kissed him without consent after telling the flight attendant how beautiful he thought he was.
In a criminal complaint filed in the Alaska District Court in Anchorage, prosecutors have charged David Alan Burk, 61, with one count of interference with flight crew and willfully making materially false statements.
If found guilty of interfering with the flight attendant, Burk faces a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
In an affidavit filed in court by FBI investigators, it is alleged that Burk also broke the Captain’s meal tray and behaved in such a way that two flight attendants were too scared to work in the First Class cabin where he was sitting.
The incident unfolded on April 10 during Delta flight DL517 from Minneapolis to Anchorage and Burk first came to the attention of the flight attendant before the plane had even departed.
During boarding, the male flight attendant working the First Class cabin took pre-departure beverage orders from his passengers but wasn’t able to serve Burk before takeoff because catering arrived late to the aircraft, and he was required to sort this out.
The flight attendant says Burk seemed ‘snippy’ about not receiving his pre-departure beverage but the crew member prioritized this after takeoff and by the end of the meal service, Burk even shook the flight attendant’s hand.
About ten minutes later, Burk entered the front galley where the flight attendant was alone and stood next to him and said: “Oh, you’re so beautiful,” and “Can I have a kiss?”
The flight attendant declined his offer but Burk allegedly persisted and asked if he could kiss the flight attendant on the neck. Without giving the crew member time to react, Burk allegedly grabbed hm by the neck, pulled him close and kissed him on the neck.
The victim told investigators that this made him feel “very uncomfortable and caught off guard”.
Burk then headed to the lavatory but, before entering, said: “I have one of those Delta cards for you” – referring to cards given to frequent flyers to recognize excellent service given by flight attendants.
The flight attendant immediately went to the back of the plane to inform his colleagues and when Burk returned to his seat, another flight attendant took his place at the front of the plane.
Once there, she discovered that the Captain’s meal tray had been broken – possibly by Burk.
The Captain decided that the incident was serious enough to constitute a Level 2 security threat and contacted law enforcement to meet the aircraft on arrival. The male flight attendant had to stay at the back of the plane for the rest of the flight, while another flight attendant says she was too scared to serve the First Class cabin because of worries of what Burk might do.
A second female flight attendant later saw Burk use the lavatory a second time and described him as “wasted” – flight attendants served him three red winds during the flight.
When interviewed by investigators, Burk says he doesn’t recall ever using the lavatory on the flight and claims he didn’t interact with the flight attendants. Burk also told investigators that he only had one glass of wine on the flight but did admit to drinking a lot before boarding the plane.
Burk has been released on his own recognizance pending trial.
